


Such An Odd Feeling

by NaomyM



Series: Such an odd feeling [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 03:18:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/743570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaomyM/pseuds/NaomyM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin has lived alone for thousands of years. He seldom smiles and he never goes to taverns. That changes when one day, his insticts lead him to his best friend, to one of the bravest knights the world has ever seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such An Odd Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters associated with Merlin are not mine.  
> So i'm being attacked by Merlin feels. I may or may not do a sequel where Gwaine remembers. I also have a Gwaine/OC story and a Modern era fic where Arthur and Merlin watch the Sword in the Stone. Enjoy. Reviews would be wonderful.

Merlin reached for the door knob slowly. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to open it. It had been so long since he had last been in a tavern. No, not tavern. He huffed as he tried to remember what taverns were called then. Bup, was it? No, pub. Taverns were called pubs. He rolled his eyes. The least people could do was use full words. Public house is not difficult to say. This is how so many languages died.

"Mate, you going in or what?" Merlin jumped slightly at the voice behind him. He moved away from the door as quickly as he could. Being an old man had as much perks as it did downfalls. The two young men eyed him warily as they entered the pub.

"Old buffer." One of them muttered. Merlin raised an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. Eyes intent on the young man, his eyes glowed that vibrant yellow. He tried not to smirk as the young man "tripped" over the door and fell on his face. Not much made Merlin smile anymore. He tried his best not to grow cynical or bored, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help the feeling of being alone. He couldn't help the feeling of the weight of all his former burdens, the weight of thousands of years. It was unusual to feel such lightness. Merlin took a deep breathe, eyes glued to the door leading to the pub. He couldn't understand why he had such a strong urge to enter. Something was pushing him forward. He rested his hand on the door knob again. He kept his eyes on his wrinkled hand, full of liver spots. Maybe he should change into a younger version of himself? No, he brushed the thought off. It had been so long and it was for good reason. No one wanted to bother with an old buffer. No one cared enough. It wasn't as if he didn't want to. No. Merlin valued every life before him. Everyone mattered, just like he had told the young Daegal, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing another loved one. No. Besides, he had a purpose. He was here for Arthur and for Arthur only, not to befriend young, inexperienced people.

Then why couldn't he tear himself away from this door? Merlin took a deep breath and ran his shaky, free hand through his long, white hair. Long ago he had learnt to trust his instincts. If he had such an urge to enter this pub, then maybe it was for a reason.

He raised his head and pushed through the door. Merlin took in the new scene. He wasn't sure if he was surprised or relieved that there was nothing. Well, nothing to evoke such a feeling.

"Excuse me, mate." His head quickly snapped up towards the person. He let out a breathe, unaware that he had been holding it in. He nodded and stepped out of the doorway. He cautiously walked towards the counter, coyly eyeing the few patrons. That weary feeling had exploded into full out hopefulness. His throat was dry, his heart hammering, and his magic was buzzing underneath his skin. He felt light headed. He had not felt such emotions in a very long time. He gingerly sat down on a stool in the corner, carefully putting his shoulder bag's strap over his head. He set it on the stool next to him.

A few stools away, two women were giggling madly at the bartender serving them. He could only see the well-formed back and short, shaggy hair. The women or the man didn't seem familiar, but Merlin was buzzing. For some reason he couldn't take his eyes away from the women and the man. He could just make out the husky, teasing voice. He wiped the counter next to the woman, never once stopping the conversation, if it could be called that. It was mostly him talking and winking while the women giggled and stared longingly at him. It wasn't until another man walked past the counter that anyone even noticed the old man.

"Mate, stop that for one moment. We've got another one." He jerked his head in his direction. Merlin quickly averted his eyes to the menu. He couldn't even see the menu. Oh. Emotions overwhelmed him. He knew him anywhere. No one was that charming. For the second that their eyes met, Merlin knew it was him. For a moment, Merlin wasn't there. He was in the forest, just outside the cave, where he had last seen those eyes. Oh, Merlin couldn't control himself. He, Gwaine, was walking towards him. Gwaine. His Gwaine. Sir Gwaine.

"Morning'. Fancy a-"Gwaine stopped mid-sentence. All he did was stare back into Merlin's watery eyes. Did he recognize him? Did he know? Merlin couldn't breathe; he couldn't stop the tears forming in his eyes. He could feel everything. The amusement and admiration from the first day in the tavern, the thankfulness over the many times Gwaine had saved him, the disappointment when he left Camelot, the relief when he helped with Arthur's quest and when he found him in that pit, the pride when he was knighted, the comfort of having him constantly around, the despair when he died. Every emotion surged through him and all he wanted to do was run to his friend and hold him. Because he was dead. He was gone and Merlin was alone, but now he had Gwaine. His best friend.

Gwaine blinked, shaking his head with an easy smile.

"I, um, sorry. Fancy a drink?" He tried his best to sound normal. Merlin knew him; he knew what he sounded like. There was no doubt Gwaine was their strength, Merlin couldn't bring himself to say anything. All he could manage was to nod and wipe a few stray tears. "You alright?" He said in a hushed tone. Concern filled Gwaine's voice as his eyebrows furrowed and he leaned towards the old man.

"Yes, yes. I-I am great." Merlin managed to croak out. He laughed, laughed in such an over the top manner. It was as if all the years he hadn't smiled had collected and erupted in this very moment. It felt so good to laugh. "No, no. I don't drink." He said after regaining his bearings. Gwaine had a big smile plastered on his lips.

"A bit odd that you're in a pub then, eh?" Gwaine chuckled as he poured beer into a glass. "Alright, I'll do the drinking for both of us." Merlin wanted to erupt into another fit of laughter. It was Gwaine. Gwaine was standing before him, not changed in the slightest.

"I suppose. Please go ahead." Merlin assured him. They shared a moment of silence, glancing at each other every few minutes. It was comfortable, familiar.

"You sure you're alright?" Gwaine asked after a while. He was still smiling, his eyes were shining.

Merlin gulped and gave him the biggest smile he could muster. "Yes. In fact, I'm better than I've been in a long, long time." He no longer cared about the tears falling.

"Ah, really? Had a good shag then?" Gwaine winked at Merlin, who could feel his ears reddening. Even after all this time, Gwaine could still make him blush with his brazenness.

"Not exactly… I, I just. For once I'm not alone anymore." Gwaine nodded thoughtfully. After another comfortable silence, Gwaine extended his hand out to him.

"Where are my manners? We've been sitting like old mates this whole time and we don't even know each other's names. My mum would have laid a good hand on me. Name's Gwaine."

"Gwaine." Merlin shook his hand, savoring being able to say that name again, without the pain. "I'm Merlin."

"Merlin? Hm, Merlin." The look on his face was one of slight shock and confusion, and something else. Something like finally making sense of a situation, something like relief. "Do we, do we know each other? I just can't help but feeling like we've met…" He trailed off, looking at Merlin expectedly.

"Perhaps in another life." Merlin grinned, trying to calm the uneasy look on Gwaine's face. "I do have a question though… Have you ever had a cheese that tasted like apple pie?" His eyes widened in fascination and he gave Merlin a goofy grin. He looked like a small child on Christmas morning.

"What? Please tell me that exists and that you're not making this up. I've been waiting for something like that my whole life. I've been missing out!" He exclaimed, taking a large sip of his drink.

"Of course you have…" Merlin smiled softly.

For once, he wasn't going to be alone.


End file.
